Intel to Power Next Generation of Google Glass

Google Glass debuted in 2012 and quickly became the “must have” tech item for alpha geeks. Over the past two years, the wearable device has been praised for its forward-thinking functionality, but has also come under scrutiny not only for its high price tag and its tendency to turn users into “glassholes.”

Now, the company is prepping a second generation of Glass, and some big changes will take place under the hood according to The Wall Street Journal. The current generation Glass Explorer is powered by a 1.2GHz, dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 processor paired with 2GB of RAM. However, the next generation Glass will be powered by an Intel x86 processor.

The Journal’s sources couldn’t pinpoint exactly which Intel chip will power the device, but one possibility is Intel’s Quark SoC that is targeted at wearable devices. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich noted at this year’s CES that “wearables are wide open” and this design win with Google would mark a small but important step towards strengthening its position in the market.

Intel’s partnership with Google is “a positive signal, not just about Glass, but about the wearable category generally,” said Kevin Spain, a general partner with Emergence Capital Partners.

Over the past year, Google updated Glass to include 2GB of RAM, 20 percent better battery life, and faster voice search. It has also made improvements to camera functionality and Google Now.